Chapter L: F. Ward (5)

Afore the mast, Before the mast. See under Afore, and Before. - - Mast coat. See under Coat. -- Mast hoop, one of a number of hoops attached to the fore edge of a boom sail, which slip on the mast as the sail is raised or lowered; also, one of the iron hoops used in making a made mast. See Made.

Mast, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Masted; p. pr. & vb. n. Masting.] To furnish with a mast or masts; to put the masts of in position; as, to mast a ship.

||Mas"tax (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; mouth, jaws.] (Zoöl.) (a) The ||pharynx of a rotifer. It usually contains four horny pieces. The two ||central ones form the incus, against which the mallei, or lateral ||ones, work so as to crush the food. (b) The lore of a bird.

Mast"ed (?), a. Furnished with a mast or masts; -- chiefly in composition; as, a three-masted schooner.

Mast"er (-r), n. (Naut.) A vessel having (so many) masts; -- used only in compounds; as, a two-master.

Mas"ter (ms"tr), n. [OE. maistre, maister, OF. maistre, mestre, F. maître, fr. L. magister, orig. a double comparative from the root of magnus great, akin to Gr. me`gas. Cf. Maestro, Magister, Magistrate, Magnitude, Major, Mister, Mistress, Mickle.] 1. A male person having another living being so far subject to his will, that he can, in the main, control his or its actions; -- formerly used with much more extensive application than now. (a) The employer of a servant. (b) The owner of a slave. (c) The person to whom an apprentice is articled. (d) A sovereign, prince, or feudal noble; a chief, or one exercising similar authority. (e) The head of a household. (f) The male head of a school or college. (g) A male teacher. (h) The director of a number of persons performing a ceremony or sharing a feast. (i) The owner of a docile brute, -- especially a dog or horse. (j) The controller of a familiar spirit or other supernatural being.

2. One who uses, or controls at will, anything inanimate; as, to be master of one's time. Shak.

Master of a hundred thousand drachms.

Addison.

We are masters of the sea.

Jowett (Thucyd. ).

3. One who has attained great skill in the use or application of anything; as, a master of oratorical art.

Great masters of ridicule.

Macaulay.

No care is taken to improve young men in their own language, that
they may thoroughly understand and be masters of it.

Locke.

4. A title given by courtesy, now commonly pronounced mster, except when given to boys; -- sometimes written Mister, but usually abbreviated to Mr.

5. A young gentleman; a lad, or small boy.

Where there are little masters and misses in a house, they are
impediments to the diversions of the servants.

Swift.

6. (Naut.) The commander of a merchant vessel; -- usually called captain. Also, a commissioned officer in the navy ranking next above ensign and below lieutenant; formerly, an officer on a man-of-war who had immediate charge, under the commander, of sailing the vessel.

7. A person holding an office of authority among the Freemasons, esp. the presiding officer; also, a person holding a similar office in other civic societies.

Little masters, certain German engravers of the 16th century, so called from the extreme smallness of their prints. -- Master in chancery, an officer of courts of equity, who acts as an assistant to the chancellor or judge, by inquiring into various matters referred to him, and reporting thereon to the court. -- Master of arts, one who takes the second degree at a university; also, the degree or title itself, indicated by the abbreviation M. A., or A. M. -- Master of the horse, the third great officer in the British court, having the management of the royal stables, etc. In ceremonial cavalcades he rides next to the sovereign. -- Master of the rolls, in England, an officer who has charge of the rolls and patents that pass the great seal, and of the records of the chancery, and acts as assistant judge of the court. Bouvier. Wharton. -- Past master, one who has held the office of master in a lodge of Freemasons or in a society similarly organized. -- The old masters, distinguished painters who preceded modern painters; especially, the celebrated painters of the 16th and 17th centuries. -- To be master of one's self, to have entire self-control; not to be governed by passion. -- To be one's own master, to be at liberty to act as one chooses without dictation from anybody.

Master, signifying chief, principal, masterly, superior, thoroughly skilled, etc., is often used adjectively or in compounds; as, master builder or master-builder, master chord or master-chord, master mason or master-mason, master workman or master-workman, master mechanic, master mind, master spirit, master passion, etc.

Throughout the city by the master gate.

Chaucer.

Master joint (Geol.), a quarryman's term for the more prominent and extended joints traversing a rock mass. -- Master key, a key adapted to open several locks differing somewhat from each other; figuratively, a rule or principle of general application in solving difficulties. -- Master lode (Mining), the principal vein of ore. -- Master mariner, an experienced and skilled seaman who is certified to be competent to command a merchant vessel. -- Master sinew (Far.), a large sinew that surrounds the hough of a horse, and divides it from the bone by a hollow place, where the windgalls are usually seated. -- Master singer. See Mastersinger. -- Master stroke, a capital performance; a masterly achievement; a consummate action; as, a master stroke of policy. -- Master tap (Mech.), a tap for forming the thread in a screw cutting die. -- Master touch. (a) The touch or skill of a master. Pope. (b) Some part of a performance which exhibits very skillful work or treatment. "Some master touches of this admirable piece." Tatler. -- Master work, the most important work accomplished by a skilled person, as in architecture, literature, etc.; also, a work which shows the skill of a master; a masterpiece. -- Master workman, a man specially skilled in any art, handicraft, or trade, or who is an overseer, foreman, or employer.

Mas"ter (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mastered (?); p. pr. vb. n. Mastering.] 1. To become the master of; to subject to one's will, control, or authority; to conquer; to overpower; to subdue.

Obstinacy and willful neglects must be mastered, even though it
cost blows.

Locke.

2. To gain the command of, so as to understand or apply; to become an adept in; as, to master a science.

3. To own; to posses. [Obs.]

The wealth That the world masters.

Shak.

Mas"ter, v. i. To be skillful; to excel. [Obs.]

Mas"ter*dom (?), n. [Master + -dom.] Dominion; rule; command. [R.] Shak.

Mas"ter*ful (?), a. 1. Inclined to play the master; domineering; imperious; arbitrary. Dryden.

2. Having the skill or power of a master; indicating or expressing power or mastery.

His masterful, pale face.

Mrs. Browning.

Mas"ter*ful*ly, adv. In a masterful manner; imperiously.

A lawless and rebellious man who held lands masterfully and in high
contempt of the royal authority.

Macaulay.

Mas"ter*hood (?), n. The state of being a master; hence, disposition to command or hector. C. Bronté.

Mas"ter*less, a. Destitute of a master or owner; ungoverned or ungovernable. -- Mas"ter*less*ness, n.

Mas"ter*li*ness (?), n. The quality or state of being masterly; ability to control wisely or skillfully.

Mas"ter*ly, a. 1. Suitable to, or characteristic of, a master; indicating thorough knowledge or superior skill and power; showing a master's hand; as, a masterly design; a masterly performance; a masterly policy. "A wise and masterly inactivity." Sir J. Mackintosh.

2. Imperious; domineering; arbitrary.

Mas"ter*ly, adv. With the skill of a master.

Thou dost speak masterly.

Shak.

Mas"ter*ous (?), a. Masterly. [Obs.] Milton.

Mas"ter*piece` (?), n. Anything done or made with extraordinary skill; a capital performance; a chef- d'œuvre; a supreme achievement.

The top and masterpiece of art.

South.

Dissimulation was his masterpiece.

Claredon.

Mas"ter*ship, n. 1. The state or office of a master.

2. Mastery; dominion; superior skill; superiority.

Where noble youths for mastership should strive.

Driden.

3. Chief work; masterpiece. [Obs.] Dryden.

4. An ironical title of respect.

How now, seignior Launce ! what news with your mastership ?

Shak.

Mas"ter*sing`er (?), n. [A translation of G. meistersänger.] One of a class of poets which flourished in Nuremberg and some other cities of Germany in the 15th and 16th centuries. They bound themselves to observe certain arbitrary laws of rhythm.

Mas"ter*wort` (?), n. (Bot.) (a) A tall and coarse European umbelliferous plant (Peucedanum Ostruthium, formerly Imperatoria). (b) The Astrantia major, a European umbelliferous plant with a showy colored involucre. (c) Improperly, the cow parsnip (Heracleum lanatum).

Mas"ter*y (?), n.; pl. Masteries (#). [OF. maistrie.]

1. The position or authority of a master; dominion; command; supremacy; superiority.

If divided by mountains, they will fight for the mastery of the
passages of the tops.

Sir W. Raleigh.

2. Superiority in war or competition; victory; triumph; preëminence.

The voice of them that shout for mastery.

Ex. xxxii. 18.

Every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things.

1 Cor. ix. 25.

O, but to have gulled him Had been a mastery.

B. Jonson.

3. Contest for superiority. [Obs.] Holland.

4. A masterly operation; a feat. [Obs.]

I will do a maistrie ere I go.

Chaucer.

5. Specifically, the philosopher's stone. [Obs.]

6. The act process of mastering; the state of having mastered.

He could attain to a mastery in all languages.

Tillotson.

The learning and mastery of a tongue, being unpleasant in itself,
should not be cumbered with other difficulties.

Locke.

Mast"ful (?), a. [See lst Mast.] Abounding in mast; producing mast in abundance; as, the mastful forest; a mastful chestnut. Dryden.

Mast"head` (?), n. (Naut.) The top or head of a mast; the part of a mast above the hounds.

Mast"head", v. t. (Naut.) To cause to go to the masthead as a punishment. Marryat.

Mast"house` (?), n. A building in which vessels' masts are shaped, fitted, etc.

Mas"tic (?), n. [F., fr. L. mastiche, mastichum, Gr. &?;, fr. &?; to chew, because of its being used in the East for chewing.] [Written also mastich.]

1. (Bot.) A low shrubby tree of the genus Pistacia (P. Lentiscus), growing upon the islands and coasts of the Mediterranean, and producing a valuable resin; -- called also, mastic tree.

2. A resin exuding from the mastic tree, and obtained by incision. The best is in yellowish white, semitransparent tears, of a faint smell, and is used as an astringent and an aromatic, also as an ingredient in varnishes.

3. A kind of cement composed of burnt clay, litharge, and linseed oil, used for plastering walls, etc.

Barbary mastic (Bot.), the Pistachia Atlantica. -- Peruvian mastic tree (Bot.), a small tree (Schinus Molle) with peppery red berries; -- called also pepper tree. -- West Indian mastic (Bot.), a lofty tree (Bursera gummifera) full of gum resin in every part.

Mas"ti*ca*ble (?), a. Capable of being masticated.

Mas`ti*ca"dor (?), n. [Cf. Sp. mastigador. See Masticate.] (Man.) A part of a bridle, the slavering bit. [Written also mastigador.]

Mas"ti*cate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Masticated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Masticating (?).] [L. masticatus, p. p. of masticare to chew, prob. fr. mastiche mastic. See Mastic.] To grind or crush with, or as with, the teeth and prepare for swallowing and digestion; to chew; as, to masticate food.

Mas"ti*ca`ter (?), n. One who masticates.

Mas`ti*ca"tion (?), n. [L. masticatio: cf. F. mastication.] The act or operation of masticating; chewing, as of food.

Mastication is a necessary preparation of solid aliment, without
which there can be no good digestion.

Arbuthnot.

Mas"ti*ca`tor (?), n. 1. One who masticates.

2. A machine for cutting meat into fine pieces for toothless people; also, a machine for cutting leather, India rubber, or similar tough substances, into fine pieces, in some processes of manufacture.

Mas"ti*ca*to*ry (?), a. [Cf. F. masticatoire.] Chewing; adapted to perform the office of chewing food.

Mas"ti*ca*to*ry, n.; pl. -ries (&?;). (Med.) A substance to be chewed to increase the saliva. Bacon.

Mas"tich (?), n. See Mastic.

Mas"ti*cin (?), n. (Chem.) A white, amorphous, tenacious substance resembling caoutchouc, and obtained as an insoluble residue of mastic.

Mas"ti*cot (?), n. (Chem.) Massicot. [Obs.]

Mas"tiff (?), n.; pl. Mastiffs (&?;). [Mastives is irregular and unusual.] [Prob. fr. Prov. E. masty, adj., large, n., a great dog, prob. fr. mast fruit, and hence, lit., fattened with mast. There is perh. confusion with OF. mestif mongrel; cf. also F. mâtin mastiff, OF. mastin.] (Zoöl.) A breed of large dogs noted for strength and courage. There are various strains, differing in form and color, and characteristic of different countries.

Mastiff bat (Zoöl.) , any bat of the genus Molossus; so called because the face somewhat resembles that of a mastiff.

Mas"ti*go*pod (?), n. (Zoöl.) One of the Mastigopoda.

||Mas`ti*gop"o*da (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. ma`stix, -igos, a whip + ||poy`s, podo`s, foot.] (Zoöl.) The Infusoria.

Mas"ti*gure (?), n. [Gr. ma`stix, -igos, a scourge + &?; tail.] (Zoöl.) Any one of several large spiny-tailed lizards of the genus Uromastix. They inhabit Southern Asia and North Africa.

Mast"ing (?), n. (Naut.) The act or process of putting a mast or masts into a vessel; also, the scientific principles which determine the position of masts, and the mechanical methods of placing them.

Masting house (Naut.), a large building, with suitable mechanism overhanging the water, used for stepping and unstepping the masts of vessels.

||Mas*ti"tis (?), n. [Gr. masto`s breast + -itis.] (Med.) Inflammation ||of the breast.

Mast"less (?), a. [See lst Mast.] Bearing no mast; as, a mastless oak or beech. Dryden.

Mast"less, a. [See 2d Mast.] Having no mast; as, a mastless vessel.

<! p. 901 !>

Mast"lin (mst"ln), n. See Maslin.

Mas"to*don (?), n. [Gr. masto`s the breast + 'odoy`s, 'odo`ntos, a tooth. So called from the conical projections upon its molar teeth.] (Paleon.) An extinct genus of mammals closely allied to the elephant, but having less complex molar teeth, and often a pair of lower, as well as upper, tusks, which are incisor teeth. The species were mostly larger than elephants, and their remains occur in nearly all parts of the world in deposits ranging from Miocene to late Quaternary time.

||Mas`to*don*sau"rus (?), n. [NL., fr. E. Mastodon + Gr. say^ros a ||lizard.] (Paleon.) A large extinct genus of labyrinthodonts, found in ||the European Triassic rocks.

Mas`to*don"tic (?), a. Pertaining to, or resembling, a mastodon; as, mastodontic dimensions. Everett.

||Mas`to*dyn"i*a (?), Mas*tod"y*ny (&?;), n. [NL. mastodynia, fr. Gr. ||masto`s the breast + &?; pain.] (Med.) Pain occuring in the mamma or ||female breast, -- a form of neuralgia.

Mas"toid (?), a. [Gr. &?;; masto`s the breast + &?; form: cf. F. mastoïde.] (Anat.) (a) Resembling the nipple or the breast; -- applied specifically to a process of the temporal bone behind the ear. (b) Pertaining to, or in the region of, the mastoid process; mastoidal.

Mas*toid"al (?), a. Same as Mastoid.

Mas*tol"o*gy (?), n. [Gr. masto`s the breast + -logy: cf. F. mastologie.] The natural history of Mammalia.

Mas"tress (?), n. Mistress. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Mas`tur*ba"tion (?), n. [L. masturbatus, p. p. of masturbari to practice onanism: cf. F. masturbation.] Onanism; self-pollution.

Mast"y (?), a. [See lst Mast.] Full of mast; abounding in acorns, etc.

Ma*su"la boat` (?). Same as Masoola boat.

Mat (?), n. [Cf. Matte.] A name given by coppersmiths to an alloy of copper, tin, iron, etc., usually called white metal. [Written also matt.]

Mat, a. [OF. See 4th Mate.] Cast down; dejected; overthrown; slain. [Obs.]

When he saw them so piteous and so maat.

Chaucer.

Mat, n. [AS. matt, meatt, fr. L. matta a mat made of rushes.] 1. A fabric of sedge, rushes, flags, husks, straw, hemp, or similar material, used for wiping and cleaning shoes at the door, for covering the floor of a hall or room, and for other purposes.

2. Any similar fabric for various uses, as for covering plant houses, putting beneath dishes or lamps on a table, securing rigging from friction, and the like.

3. Anything growing thickly, or closely interwoven, so as to resemble a mat in form or texture; as, a mat of weeds; a mat of hair.

4. An ornamental border made of paper, pasterboard, metal, etc., put under the glass which covers a framed picture; as, the mat of a daguerreotype.

Mat grass. (Bot.) (a) A low, tufted, European grass (Nardus stricta). (b) Same as Matweed. -- Mat rush (Bot.), a kind of rush (Scirpus lacustris) used in England for making mats.

Mat, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Matted (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Matting.] 1. To cover or lay with mats. Evelyn.

2. To twist, twine, or felt together; to interweave into, or like, a mat; to entangle.

And o'er his eyebrows hung his matted hair.

Dryden.

Mat, v. i. To grow thick together; to become interwoven or felted together like a mat.

||Ma`ta*chin" (?), n. [Sp.] An old dance with swords and bucklers; a ||sword dance.

Mat"a*co (?), n. (Zoöl.) The three-banded armadillo (Tolypeutis tricinctus). See Illust. under Loricata.

{ Mat"a*dore, Mat"a*dor} (?), n. [Sp. matador, prop., a killer, fr. matar to kill, L. mactare to sacrifice, kill.] 1. The killer; the man appointed to kill the bull in bullfights.

2. (Card Playing) In the game of quadrille or omber, the three principal trumps, the ace of spades being the first, the ace of clubs the third, and the second being the deuce of a black trump or the seven of a red one.

When Lady Tricksey played a four, You took it with a matadore.

Swift.

Mat`a*gasse" (?), n. (Zoöl.) A shrike or butcher bird; -- called also mattages. [Prov. Eng.]

||Ma`ta*ma"ta (?), n. [Pg.] (Zoöl.) The bearded tortoise (Chelys ||fimbriata) of South American rivers.

Ma*tan"za (?), n. [Sp., slaughter, fr. matar to kill.] A place where animals are slaughtered for their hides and tallow. [Western U. S.]

Match (mch), n. [OE. macche, F. mèche, F. mèche, fr. L. myxa a lamp nozzle, Gr. my`xa mucus, nostril, a lamp nozzle. Cf. Mucus.] Anything used for catching and retaining or communicating fire, made of some substance which takes fire readily, or remains burning some time; esp., a small strip or splint of wood dipped at one end in a substance which can be easily ignited by friction, as a preparation of phosphorus or chlorate of potassium.

Match box, a box for holding matches. - - Match tub, a tub with a perforated cover for holding slow matches for firing cannon, esp. on board ship. The tub contains a little water in the bottom, for extinguishing sparks from the lighted matches. -- Quick match, threads of cotton or cotton wick soaked in a solution of gunpowder mixed with gum arabic and boiling water and afterwards strewed over with mealed powder. It burns at the rate of one yard in thirteen seconds, and is used as priming for heavy mortars, fireworks, etc. -- Slow match, slightly twisted hempen rope soaked in a solution of limewater and saltpeter or washed in a lye of water and wood ashes. It burns at the rate of four or five inches an hour, and is used for firing cannon, fireworks, etc.

Match, n. [OE. macche, AS. gemæcca; akin to gemaca, and to OS. gimako, OHG. gimah fitting, suitable, convenient, Icel. mark suitable, maki mate, Sw. make, Dan. mage; all from the root of E. make, v. See Make mate, and Make, v., and cf. Mate an associate.]

1. A person or thing equal or similar to another; one able to mate or cope with another; an equal; a mate.

Government . . . makes an innocent man, though of the lowest rank,
a match for the mightiest of his fellow subjects.

Addison.

2. A bringing together of two parties suited to one another, as for a union, a trial of skill or force, a contest, or the like; as, specifically: (a) A contest to try strength or skill, or to determine superiority; an emulous struggle. "Many a warlike match." Drayton.

A solemn match was made; he lost the prize.

Dryden.

(b) A matrimonial union; a marriage.

3. An agreement, compact, etc. "Thy hand upon that match." Shak.

Love doth seldom suffer itself to be confined by other matches than
those of its own making.

Boyle.

4. A candidate for matrimony; one to be gained in marriage. "She . . . was looked upon as the richest match of the West." Clarendon.

5. Equality of conditions in contest or competition.

It were no match, your nail against his horn.

Shak.

6. Suitable combination or bringing together; that which corresponds or harmonizes with something else; as, the carpet and curtains are a match.

7. (Founding) A perforated board, block of plaster, hardened sand, etc., in which a pattern is partly imbedded when a mold is made, for giving shape to the surfaces of separation between the parts of the mold.

Match boarding (Carp.), boards fitted together with tongue and groove, or prepared to be so fitted. -- Match game, a game arranged as a test of superiority. -- Match plane (Carp.), either of the two planes used to shape the edges of boards which are joined by grooving and tonguing. -- Match plate (Founding), a board or plate on the opposite sides of which the halves of a pattern are fastened, to facilitate molding. Knight. -- Match wheel (Mach.), a cogwheel of suitable pitch to work with another wheel; specifically, one of a pair of cogwheels of equal size.

Match, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Matched (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Matching.] 1. To be a mate or match for; to be able to complete with; to rival successfully; to equal.

No settled senses of the world can match The pleasure of that
madness.

Shak.

2. To furnish with its match; to bring a match, or equal, against; to show an equal competitor to; to set something in competition with, or in opposition to, as equal.

No history or antiquity can matchis policies and his conduct.

South.

3. To oppose as equal; to contend successfully against.

Eternal might To match with their inventions they presumed So easy,
and of his thunder made a scorn.

Milton.

4. To make or procure the equal of, or that which is exactly similar to, or corresponds with; as, to match a vase or a horse; to match cloth. "Matching of patterns and colors." Swift.

5. To make equal, proportionate, or suitable; to adapt, fit, or suit (one thing to another).

Let poets match their subject to their strength.

Roscommon.

6. To marry; to give in marriage.

A senator of Rome survived, Would not have matched his daughter
with a king.

Addison.

7. To fit together, or make suitable for fitting together; specifically, to furnish with a tongue and a groove, at the edges; as, to match boards.

Matching machine, a planing machine for forming a tongue or a groove on the edge of a board.

Match, v. i. 1. To be united in marriage; to mate.

I hold it a sin to match in my kindred.

Shak.

Let tigers match with hinds, and wolves with sheep.

Dryden.

2. To be of equal, or similar, size, figure, color, or quality; to tally; to suit; to correspond; as, these vases match.

Match"a*ble (?), a. Capable of being matched; comparable on equal conditions; adapted to being joined together; correspondent. -- Match"a*ble*ness, n.

Sir Walter Raleigh . . . is matchable with the best of the
ancients.

Hakewill.

Match"-cloth` (?), n. A coarse cloth.

Match"-coat` (?), n. A coat made of match-cloth.

Match"er (?), n. One who, or that which, matches; a matching machine. See under 3d Match.

Match"less, a. [Cf. Mateless.]

1. Having no equal; unequaled. "A matchless queen." Waller.

2. Unlike each other; unequal; unsuited. [Obs.] "Matchless ears." Spenser.

-- Match"less*ly, adv. -- Match"less*ness, n.

Match"lock` (?), n. An old form of gunlock containing a match for firing the priming; hence, a musket fired by means of a match.

Match"mak`er (?), n. 1. One who makes matches for burning or kinding.

2. One who tries to bring about marriages.

Match"mak`ing, n. 1. The act or process of making matches for kindling or burning.

2. The act or process of trying to bring about a marriage for others.

Match"mak`ing, a. Busy in making or contriving marriages; as, a matchmaking woman.

||Ma"te (?), n. [Sp.] The Paraguay tea, being the dried leaf of the ||Brazilian holly (Ilex Paraguensis). The infusion has a pleasant odor, ||with an agreeable bitter taste, and is much used for tea in South ||America.

Mate (?), n. [F. mat, abbrev. fr. échec et mat. See Checkmate.] (Chess) Same as Checkmate.

Mate, a. See 2d Mat. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Mate, v. t. [F. mater to fatigue, enfeeble, humiliate, checkmate. See Mate checkmate.]

1. To confuse; to confound. [Obs.] Shak.

2. To checkmate.

Mate, n. [Perhaps for older make a companion; cf. also OD. maet companion, mate, D. maat. Cf. Make a companion, Match a mate.] 1. One who customarily associates with another; a companion; an associate; any object which is associated or combined with a similar object.

2. Hence, specifically, a husband or wife; and among the lower animals, one of a pair associated for propagation and the care of their young.

3. A suitable companion; a match; an equal.

Ye knew me once no mate For you; there sitting where you durst not
soar.

Milton.

4. (Naut.) An officer in a merchant vessel ranking next below the captain. If there are more than one bearing the title, they are called, respectively, first mate, second mate, third mate, etc. In the navy, a subordinate officer or assistant; as, master's mate; surgeon's mate.

Mate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mated; p. pr. & vb. n. Mating.] 1. To match; to marry.

If she be mated with an equal husband.

Shak.

2. To match one's self against; to oppose as equal; to compete with.

There is no passion in the mind of man so weak but it mates and
masters the fear of death.

Bacon.

I, . . . in the way of loyalty and truth, . . . Dare mate a sounder
man than Surrey can be.

Shak.

Mate, v. i. To be or become a mate or mates, especially in sexual companionship; as, some birds mate for life; this bird will not mate with that one.

Mate"less, a. [Cf. Matchless.] Having no mate.

Mat"e*lote (mt"*lt), n. [F., fr. matelot a sailor; properly, a dish such as sailors prepare.] A dish of food composed of many kinds of fish.

Ma`te*ol"o*gy (m`t*l"*j), n. [Gr. mataiologi`a; ma`taios useless, vain + lo`gos discourse: cf. F. matéologie.] A vain, unprofitable discourse or inquiry. [R.]

Ma`te*o*tech"ny (m`t**tk"n), n. [Gr. mataiotechni`a; ma`taios vain + te`chnh art, science.] Any unprofitable science. [Obs.]

||Ma"ter (?), n. [L., mother. See Mother.] See Alma mater, Dura mater, ||and Pia mater.

Ma*te"ri*al (?), a. [L. materialis, fr. materia stuff, matter: cf. F. matériel. See Matter, and cf. MatÉriel.]

1. Consisting of matter; not spiritual; corporeal; physical; as, material substance or bodies.

The material elements of the universe.

Whewell.

2. Hence: Pertaining to, or affecting, the physical nature of man, as distinguished from the mental or moral nature; relating to the bodily wants, interests, and comforts.

3. Of solid or weighty character; not insubstantial; of consequence; not be dispensed with; important.

Discourse, which was always material, never trifling.

Evelyn.

I shall, in the account of simple ideas, set down only such as are
most material to our present purpose.

Locke.

4. (Logic.) Pertaining to the matter, as opposed to the form, of a thing. See Matter.

Material cause. See under Cause. -- Material evidence (Law), evidence which conduces to the proof or disproof of a relevant hypothesis. Wharton.

Syn. -- Corporeal; bodily; important; weighty; momentous; essential.

Ma*te"ri*al, n. The substance or matter of which anything is made or may be made.

Raw material, any crude, unfinished, or elementary materials that are adapted to use only by processes of skilled labor. Cotton, wool, ore, logs, etc., are raw material.

Ma*te"ri*al, v. t. To form from matter; to materialize. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

Ma*te"ri*al*ism (?), n. [Cf. F. matérialisme.]

1. The doctrine of materialists; materialistic views and tenets.

The irregular fears of a future state had been supplanted by the
materialism of Epicurus.

Buckminster.

2. The tendency to give undue importance to material interests; devotion to the material nature and its wants.

3. Material substances in the aggregate; matter. [R. & Obs.] A. Chalmers.

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Ma*te"ri*al*ist (m*t"r*al*st), n. [Cf. F. matérialiste.] 1. One who denies the existence of spiritual substances or agents, and maintains that spiritual phenomena, so called, are the result of some peculiar organization of matter.

2. One who holds to the existence of matter, as distinguished from the idealist, who denies it. Berkeley.

{ Ma*te`ri*al*is"tic (?), Ma*te`ri*al*is"tic*al (?), } a. Of or pertaining to materialism or materialists; of the nature of materialism.

But to me his very spiritualism seemed more materialistic than his
physics.

C. Kingsley.

Ma*te`ri*al"i*ty (?), n. [Cf. F. matérialité.]

1. The quality or state of being material; material existence; corporeity.

2. Importance; as, the materiality of facts.

Ma*te`ri*al*i*za"tion (?), n. The act of materializing, or the state of being materialized.

Ma*te"ri*al*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Materialized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Materializing (?).] [Cf. F. matérialiser.] 1. To invest with material characteristics; to make perceptible to the senses; hence, to present to the mind through the medium of material objects.

Having with wonderful art and beauty materialized, if I may so call
it, a scheme of abstracted notions, and clothed the most nice,
refined conceptions of philosophy in sensible images.

Tatler.

2. To regard as matter; to consider or explain by the laws or principles which are appropriate to matter.

3. To cause to assume a character appropriate to material things; to occupy with material interests; as, to materialize thought.

4. (Spiritualism) To make visable in, or as in, a material form; -- said of spirits.

A female spirit form temporarily materialized, and not
distinguishable from a human being.

Epes Sargent.

Ma*te"ri*al*ize, v. i. To appear as a material form; to take substantial shape. [Colloq.]

Ma*te"ri*al*ly, adv. 1. In the state of matter.

I do not mean that anything is separable from a body by fire that
was not materially preëxistent in it.

Boyle.

2. In its essence; substantially.

An ill intention is certainly sufficient to spoil . . . an act in
itself materially good.

South.

3. In an important manner or degree; essentially; as, it materially concerns us to know the real motives of our actions.

Ma*te"ri*al*ness, n. The state of being material.

||Ma*te"ri*a med"i*ca (?). [L. See Matter, and Medical.] 1. Material or ||substance used in the composition of remedies; -- a general term for ||all substances used as curative agents in medicine.

2. That branch of medical science which treats of the nature and properties of all the substances that are employed for the cure of diseases.

Ma*te`ri*a"ri*an (?), n. [L. materiarius.] See Materialist. [Obs.]

{ Ma*te"ri*ate (?), Ma*te"ri*a`ted (?), } a. [L. materiatus, p. p. of materiare to build of wood.] Consisting of matter. [Obs.] Bacon.

Ma*te`ri*a"tion (?), n. [L. materiatio woodwork.] Act of forming matter. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

||Ma`té`ri`el" (?), n. [F. See Material.] That in a complex system ||which constitutes the materials, or instruments employed, in ||distinction from the personnel, or men; as, the baggage, munitions, ||provisions, etc., of an army; or the buildings, libraries, and ||apparatus of a college, in distinction from its officers.

Ma*te"ri*ous (?), a. See Material. [Obs.]

Ma*ter"nal (?), a. [F. maternel, L. maternus, fr. mater mother. See Mother.] Of or pertaining to a mother; becoming to a mother; motherly; as, maternal love; maternal tenderness.

Syn. -- See Motherly.

Ma*ter"nal*ly, adv. In a motherly manner.

Ma*ter"ni*ty (?), n. [F. maternité, LL. maternitas.] The state of being a mother; the character or relation of a mother.

Mat"fel*on (?), n. [W. madfelen.] (Bot.) The knapweed (Centaurea nigra).

Math (?), n. [AS. mð; akin to mwan to mow, G. mahd math. See Mow to cut (grass).] A mowing, or that which is gathered by mowing; -- chiefly used in composition; as, an aftermath. [Obs.]

The first mowing thereof, for the king's use, is wont to be sooner
than the common math.

Bp. Hall.

Math`e*mat"ic (?), a. [F. mathématique, L. mathematicus, Gr. &?; disposed to learn, belonging to learning or the sciences, especially to mathematics, fr. &?; that which is learned, learning, pl. &?; things learned, learning, science, especially mathematical science, fr. &?;, &?;, to learn; akin to E. mind. See Mind.] See Mathematical.

Math`e*mat"ic*al (?), a. [See Mathematic.] Of or pertaining to mathematics; according to mathematics; hence, theoretically precise; accurate; as, mathematical geography; mathematical instruments; mathematical exactness. -- Math`e*mat"ic*al*ly, adv.

Math`e*ma*ti"cian (?), n. [Cf. F. mathématicien.] One versed in mathematics.

Math`e*mat"ics (?), n. [F. mathématiques, pl., L. mathematica, sing., Gr. &?; (sc. &?;) science. See Mathematic, and -ics.] That science, or class of sciences, which treats of the exact relations existing between quantities or magnitudes, and of the methods by which, in accordance with these relations, quantities sought are deducible from other quantities known or supposed; the science of spatial and quantitative relations.

Mathematics embraces three departments, namely: 1. Arithmetic. 2. Geometry, including Trigonometry and Conic Sections. 3. Analysis, in which letters are used, including Algebra, Analytical Geometry, and Calculus. Each of these divisions is divided into pure or abstract, which considers magnitude or quantity abstractly, without relation to matter; and mixed or applied, which treats of magnitude as subsisting in material bodies, and is consequently interwoven with physical considerations.

Math"er (?), n. See Madder.

Math"es (?), n. [Perh. corrupted fr. L. anthemis camomile, Gr. &?; .] (Bot.) The mayweed. Cf. Maghet.

||Ma*the"sis (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. &?;, from &?;, &?;, to learn.] ||Learning; especially, mathematics. [R.] Pope.

Math"u*rin (?), n. (R. C. Ch.) See Trinitarian.

Ma*ti"co (?), n. (Bot.) A Peruvian plant (Piper, or Artanthe, elongatum), allied to the pepper, the leaves of which are used as a styptic and astringent.

Mat"ie (?), n. (Zoöl.) A fat herring with undeveloped roe. [Written also matty.] [Eng. & Scot.]

||Mâ`tin" (?), n. [F. mâtin.] (Zoöl.) A French mastiff.

Mat"in (?), n. [F. fr. L. matutinum the morning, matutinus of the morning, Matuta the goddess of the morning. See Matutinal.] 1. Morning. [Obs.] Shak.

2. pl. [F. matines. See Etymol. above.] Morning worship or service; morning prayers or songs.

The winged choristers began To chirp their matins.

Cleveland.

3. Time of morning service; the first canonical hour in the Roman Catholic Church.

Mat"in, a. Of or pertaining to the morning, or to matins; used in the morning; matutinal.

Mat"in*al (?), a. Relating to the morning, or to matins; matutinal.

Mat`i*née" (?), n. [F., from matin. See Matin.] A reception, or a musical or dramatic entertainment, held in the daytime. See SoirÉe.

Ma*trass" (?), n. [F. matras; perh. so called from its long narrow neck; cf. OF. matras large arrow, L. materis, mataris, matara, a Celtic javelin, pike; of Celtic origin.] (Chem.) A round- bottomed glass flask having a long neck; a bolthead.

Mat"ress (?), n. See Matress.

Ma"tri*arch (?), n. [L. mater mother + -arch.] The mother and ruler of a family or of her descendants; a ruler by maternal right.

Ma`tri*ar"chal (?), a. Of or pertaining to a matriarch; governed by a matriarch.

Ma"tri*ar"chate (?), n. The office or jurisdiction of a matriarch; a matriarchal form of government.

Ma"trice (?), n. [Cf. F. matrice. See Matrix.] See Matrix.

Mat"ri*ci`dal (?), a. Of or pertaining to matricide.

Mat"ri*cide (?), n. [L. matricidium; mater mother + coedere to kill, slay: cf. F. matricide. See Mother, and cf. Homicide.] 1. The murder of a mother by her son or daughter.

2. [L. matricida: cf. F. matricide.] One who murders one's own mother.

Ma*tric"u*late (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Matriculated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Matriculating.] [L. matricula a public roll or register, dim. of matrix a mother, in respect to propagation, also, a public register. See Matrix.] To enroll; to enter in a register; specifically, to enter or admit to membership in a body or society, particularly in a college or university, by enrolling the name in a register.

In discovering and matriculating the arms of commissaries from
North America.

Sir W. Scott.

Ma*tric"u*late, v. i. To go though the process of admission to membership, as by examination and enrollment, in a society or college.

Ma*tric"u*late (?), a. Matriculated. Skelton. -- n. One who is matriculated. Arbuthnot.

Ma*tric`u*la"tion (?), n. The act or process of matriculating; the state of being matriculated.

Mat"ri*moine (?), n. Matrimony. [Obs.]

Mat`ri*mo"ni*al (?), a. [L. matrimonialis: cf. F. matrimonial. See Matrimony.] Of or pertaining to marriage; derived from marriage; connubial; nuptial; hymeneal; as, matrimonial rights or duties.

If he relied upon that title, he could be but a king at courtesy,
and have rather a matrimonial than a regal power.

Bacon.

Syn. -- Connubial; conjugal; sponsal; spousal; nuptial; hymeneal.

Mat`ri*mo"ni*al*ly, adv. In a matrimonial manner.

Mat`ri*mo"ni*ous (?), a. Matrimonial. [R.] Milton.

Mat"ri*mo*ny (?), n. [OE. matrimoine, through Old French, fr. L. matrimonium, fr. mater mother. See Mother.]

1. The union of man and woman as husband and wife; the nuptial state; marriage; wedlock.

If either of you know any impediment, why ye may not be lawfully
joined together in matrimony, ye do now confess it.

Book of Com. Prayer (Eng. Ed. )

2. A kind of game at cards played by several persons.

Matrimony vine (Bot.), a climbing thorny vine (Lycium barbarum) of the Potato family. Gray.

Syn. -- Marriage; wedlock. See Marriage.

Ma"trix (m"trks), n.; pl. Matrices (mt"r*sz). [L., fr. mater mother. See Mother, and cf. Matrice.]

1. (Anat.) The womb.

All that openeth the matrix is mine.

Ex. xxxiv. 19.

2. Hence, that which gives form or origin to anything; as: (a) (Mech.) The cavity in which anything is formed, and which gives it shape; a die; a mold, as for the face of a type. (b) (Min.) The earthy or stony substance in which metallic ores or crystallized minerals are found; the gangue. (c) pl. (Dyeing) The five simple colors, black, white, blue, red, and yellow, of which all the rest are composed.

3. (Biol.) The lifeless portion of tissue, either animal or vegetable, situated between the cells; the intercellular substance.

4. (Math.) A rectangular arrangement of symbols in rows and columns. The symbols may express quantities or operations.

Ma"tron (?), n. [F. matrone, L. matrona, fr. mater mother. See Mother.] 1. A wife or a widow, especially, one who has borne children; a woman of staid or motherly manners.

Your wives, your daughters, Your matrons, and your maids.

Shak.

Grave from her cradle, insomuch that she was a matron before she
was a mother.

Fuller.

2. A housekeeper; esp., a woman who manages the domestic economy of a public instution; a head nurse in a hospital; as, the matron of a school or hospital.

Jury of matrons (Law), a jury of experienced women called to determine the question of pregnancy when set up in bar of execution, and for other cognate purposes.

Mat"ron*age (?), n. 1. The state of a matron.

2. The collective body of matrons. Burke.

Can a politician slight the feelings and convictions of the whole
matronage of his country ?

Hare.

Mat"ron*al (?), a. [L. matronalis.] Of or pertaining to a matron; suitable to an elderly lady or to a married woman; grave; motherly.

Ma"tron*hood (?), n. The state of being a matron.

Mat"ron*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Matronized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Matronizing (?).] 1. To make a matron of; to make matronlike.

Childbed matronizes the giddiest spirits.

Richardson.

2. To act the part of a matron toward; to superintend; to chaperone; as, to matronize an assembly.

Ma"tron*like` (?), a. Like a matron; sedate; grave; matronly.

Ma"tron*ly, a. 1. Advanced in years; elderly.

2. Like, or befitting, a matron; grave; sedate.

Mat`ro*nym"ic (?), n. [L. mater mother + -nymic, as in patronimic.] See Metronymic.

Ma*tross" (?), n. [D. matroos, fr. F. matelot.] (Mil.) Formerly, in the British service, a gunner or a gunner's mate; one of the soldiers in a train of artillery, who assisted the gunners in loading, firing, and sponging the guns. [Obs.]

Matt (?), n. See Matte. Knight.

Mat`ta*ges" (?), n. (Zoöl.) A shrike or butcher bird; -- written also matagasse. [Prov. Eng.]

Mat"ta*more` (?), n. [F. matamore, from Ar. mamra.] A subterranean repository for wheat.

Matte (mt), n. [F. matte; cf. F. mat, masc., matte, fem., faint, dull, dim; -- said of metals. See Mate checkmate.] 1. (Metallurgy) A partly reduced copper sulphide, obtained by alternately roasting and melting copper ore in separating the metal from associated iron ores, and called coarse metal, fine metal, etc., according to the grade of fineness. On the exterior it is dark brown or black, but on a fresh surface is yellow or bronzy in color.

2. A dead or dull finish, as in gilding where the gold leaf is not burnished, or in painting where the surface is purposely deprived of gloss.

Mat"ted (?), a. [See Matte.] Having a dull surface; unburnished; as, matted gold leaf or gilding.

Matted glass, glass ornamented with figures on a dull ground.

Mat"ted, a. [See 3d Mat.] 1. Covered with a mat or mats; as, a matted floor.

2. Tangled closely together; having its parts adhering closely together; as, matted hair.

Mat"ter (?), n. [OE. matere, F. matière, fr. L. materia; perh. akin to L. mater mother. Cf. Mother, Madeira, Material.] 1. That of which anything is composed; constituent substance; material; the material or substantial part of anything; the constituent elements of conception; that into which a notion may be analyzed; the essence; the pith; the embodiment.

He is the matter of virtue.

B. Jonson.

2. That of which the sensible universe and all existent bodies are composed; anything which has extension, occupies space, or is perceptible by the senses; body; substance.

Matter is usually divided by philosophical writers into three kinds or classes: solid, liquid, and aëriform. Solid substances are those whose parts firmly cohere and resist impression, as wood or stone. Liquids have free motion among their parts, and easily yield to impression, as water and wine. Aëriform substances are elastic fluids, called vapors and gases, as air and oxygen gas.

3. That with regard to, or about which, anything takes place or is done; the thing aimed at, treated of, or treated; subject of action, discussion, consideration, feeling, complaint, legal action, or the like; theme. "If the matter should be tried by duel." Bacon.

Son of God, Savior of men ! Thy name Shall be the copious matter of
my song.

Milton.

Every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small
matter they shall judge.

Ex. xviii. 22.

4. That which one has to treat, or with which one has to do; concern; affair; business.

To help the matter, the alchemists call in many vanities out of
astrology.

Bacon.

Some young female seems to have carried matters so far, that she is
ripe for asking advice.

Spectator.

5. Affair worthy of account; thing of consequence; importance; significance; moment; -- chiefly in the phrases what matter ? no matter, and the like.

A prophet some, and some a poet, cry; No matter which, so neither
of them lie.

Dryden.

6. Inducing cause or occasion, especially of anything disagreeable or distressing; difficulty; trouble.

And this is the matter why interpreters upon that passage in Hosea
will not consent it to be a true story, that the prophet took a
harlot to wife.

Milton.

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7. Amount; quantity; portion; space; -- often indefinite.

Away he goes, . . . a matter of seven miles.

L' Estrange.

I have thoughts to tarry a small matter.

Congreve.

No small matter of British forces were commanded over sea the year
before.

Milton.

8. Substance excreted from living animal bodies; that which is thrown out or discharged in a tumor, boil, or abscess; pus; purulent substance.

9. (Metaph.) That which is permanent, or is supposed to be given, and in or upon which changes are effected by psychological or physical processes and relations; -- opposed to form. Mansel.

10. (Print.) Written manuscript, or anything to be set in type; copy; also, type set up and ready to be used, or which has been used, in printing.

Dead matter (Print.), type which has been used, or which is not to be used, in printing, and is ready for distribution. -- Live matter (Print.), type set up, but not yet printed from. -- Matter in bar, Matter of fact. See under Bar, and Fact. -- Matter of record, anything recorded. -- Upon the matter, or Upon the whole matter, considering the whole; taking all things into view.

Waller, with Sir William Balfour, exceeded in horse, but were, upon
the whole matter, equal in foot.

Clarendon.

Mat"ter (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Mattered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Mattering.] 1. To be of importance; to import; to signify.

It matters not how they were called.

Locke.

2. To form pus or matter, as an abscess; to maturate. [R.] "Each slight sore mattereth." Sir P. Sidney.

Mat"ter, v. t. To regard as important; to take account of; to care for. [Obs.]

He did not matter cold nor hunger.

H. Brooke.

Mat"ter*less, a. 1. Not being, or having, matter; as, matterless spirits. Davies (Wit's Pilgr. ).

2. Unimportant; immaterial. [Obs.]

Mat"ter-of-fact" (?), a. Adhering to facts; not turning aside from absolute realities; not fanciful or imaginative; commonplace; dry.

Mat"ter*y (?), a. 1. Generating or containing pus; purulent.

2. Full of substance or matter; important. B. Jonson.

Mat"ting (?), n. [From Mat, v. t. & i.] 1. The act of interweaving or tangling together so as to make a mat; the process of becoming matted.

2. Mats, in general, or collectively; mat work; a matlike fabric, for use in covering floors, packing articles, and the like; a kind of carpeting made of straw, etc.

3. Materials for mats.

4. An ornamental border. See 3d Mat, 4.

Mat"ting, n. [See Matte.] A dull, lusterless surface in certain of the arts, as gilding, metal work, glassmaking, etc.

Mat"tock (?), n. [AS. mattuc; cf. W. matog.] An implement for digging and grubbing. The head has two long steel blades, one like an adz and the other like a narrow ax or the point of a pickax.

'T is you must dig with mattock and with spade.

Shak.

Mat`to*wac"ca (?), n. [Indian name.] (Zoöl.) An American clupeoid fish (Clupea mediocris), similar to the shad in habits and appearance, but smaller and less esteemed for food; -- called also hickory shad, tailor shad, fall herring, and shad herring.

Mat"tress (?), n. [OF. materas, F. matelas, LL. matratium; cf. Sp. & Pg. almadraque, Pr. almatrac; all from Ar. marah a place where anything is thrown, what is thrown under something, fr. araha to throw.]

1. A quilted bed; a bed stuffed with hair, moss, or other suitable material, and quilted or otherwise fastened. [Written also matress.]

2. (Hydraulic Engin.) A mass of interwoven brush, poles, etc., to protect a bank from being worn away by currents or waves.

Mat"u*rant (?), n. [L. maturans, p. pr. See Maturate.] (Med.) A medicine, or application, which promotes suppuration.

Mat"u*rate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Maturated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Maturating (?).] [L. maturatus, p. p. of maturare to make ripe, fr. maturus ripe, mature. See Mature, v. & a.] 1. To bring to ripeness or maturity; to ripen.

A tree may be maturated artificially.

Fuller.

2. To promote the perfect suppuration of (an abscess).

Mat"u*rate, v. i. To ripen; to become mature; specifically, to suppurate.

Mat`u*ra"tion (?), n. [L. maturatio a hastening: cf. F. maturation.] The process of bringing, or of coming, to maturity; hence, specifically, the process of suppurating perfectly; the formation of pus or matter.

Mat"u*ra*tive (?), a. [Cf. F. maturatif.] Conducing to ripeness or maturity; hence, conducing to suppuration.

Mat"u*ra*tive, n. (Med.) A remedy promoting maturation; a maturant.

Ma*ture" (?), a. [Compar. Maturer (?); superl. Maturest.] [L. maturus; prob. akin to E. matin.]

1. Brought by natural process to completeness of growth and development; fitted by growth and development for any function, action, or state, appropriate to its kind; full-grown; ripe.

Now is love mature in ear.

Tennison.

How shall I meet, or how accost, the sage, Unskilled in speech, nor
yet mature of age ?

Pope.

2. Completely worked out; fully digested or prepared; ready for action; made ready for destined application or use; perfected; as, a mature plan.

This lies glowing, . . . and is almost mature for the violent
breaking out.

Shak.

3. Of or pertaining to a condition of full development; as, a man of mature years.

4. Come to, or in a state of, completed suppuration.

Syn. -- Ripe; perfect; completed; prepared; digested; ready. -- Mature, Ripe. Both words describe fullness of growth. Mature brings to view the progressiveness of the process; ripe indicates the result. We speak of a thing as mature when thinking of the successive stayes through which it has passed; as ripe, when our attention is directed merely to its state. A mature judgment; mature consideration; ripe fruit; a ripe scholar.

Ma*ture" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Matured (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Maturing.] [See Maturate, Mature.] To bring or hasten to maturity; to promote ripeness in; to ripen; to complete; as, to mature one's plans. Bacon.

Ma*ture", v. i. 1. To advance toward maturity; to become ripe; as, wine matures by age; the judgment matures by age and experience.

2. Hence, to become due, as a note.

Ma*ture"ly, adv. 1. In a mature manner; with ripeness; completely.

2. With caution; deliberately. Dryden.

3. Early; soon. [A Latinism, little used] Bentley.

Ma*ture"ness, n. The state or quality of being mature; maturity.

Ma*tur"er (?), n. One who brings to maturity.

Mat`u*res"cent (?), a. [L. maturescens, p. pr. of maturescere to become ripe, v. incho. from maturus. See Mature, a.] Approaching maturity.

Ma*tur"ing (?), a. Approaching maturity; as, maturing fruits; maturing notes of hand.

Ma*tu"ri*ty (?), n. [L. maturitas: cf. F. maturité.]

1. The state or quality of being mature; ripeness; full development; as, the maturity of corn or of grass; maturity of judgment; the maturity of a plan.

2. Arrival of the time fixed for payment; a becoming due; termination of the period a note, etc., has to run.

Mat`u*ti"nal (?), a. [L. matutinalis, matutinus: cf. F. matutinal. See Matin.] Of or pertaining to the morning; early.

Ma*tu"ti*na*ry (?), a. Matutinal. [R.]

Mat"u*tine (?), a. Matutinal. [R.]

Mat"weed` (?), n. (Bot.) A name of several maritime grasses, as the sea sand-reed (Ammophila arundinacea) which is used in Holland to bind the sand of the seacoast dikes (see Beach grass, under Beach); also, the Lygeum Spartum, a Mediterranean grass of similar habit.

Mat"y (?), n. [Etymology uncertain.] A native house servant in India. Balfour (Cyc. of India).

||Matz"oth (?), n. [Heb. matststh, pl. of matstsh unleavened.] A cake ||of unleavened bread eaten by the Jews at the feast of the Passover.

||Mau*ca"co (?), n. [From the native name.] (Zoöl.) A lemur; -- applied ||to several species, as the White-fronted, the ruffed, and the ||ring-tailed lemurs.

Maud (?), n. A gray plaid; -- used by shepherds in Scotland.

Mau"dle (?), v. t. To throw onto confusion or disorder; to render maudlin. [Obs.]

Maud"lin (?), a. [From Maudlin, a contr. of Magdalen, OE. Maudeleyne, who is drawn by painters with eyes swelled and red with weeping.] 1. Tearful; easily moved to tears; exciting to tears; excessively sentimental; weak and silly. "Maudlin eyes." Dryden. "Maudlin eloquence." Roscommon. "A maudlin poetess." Pope. "Maudlin crowd." Southey.

2. Drunk, or somewhat drunk; fuddled; given to drunkenness.

Maudlin Clarence in his malmsey butt.

Byron.

{ Maud"lin, Maude"line (?), } n. (Bot.) An aromatic composite herb, the costmary; also, the South European Achillea Ageratum, a kind of yarrow.

Maud"lin*ism (?), n. A maudlin state. Dickens.

Maud"lin*wort` (?), n. (Bot.) The oxeye daisy.

{ Mau"ger, Mau"gre } (m"gr), prep. [OF. maugré, malgré, F. malgré. See Mal-, Malice, and Agree.] In spite of; in opposition to; notwithstanding.

A man must needs love maugre his heed.

Chaucer.

This mauger all the world will I keep safe.

Shak.

Mau"gre, v. t. To defy. [Obs.] J. Webster.

Mau"kin (?), n. 1. See Malkin.

2. (Zoöl.) A hare. [Scot.]

Maul (?), n. [See Mall a hammer.] A heavy wooden hammer or beetle. [Written also mall.]

Maul, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mauled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Mauling.] 1. To beat and bruise with a heavy stick or cudgel; to wound in a coarse manner.

Meek modern faith to murder, hack, and maul.

Pope.

2. To injure greatly; to do much harm to.

It mauls not only the person misrepreseted, but him also to whom he
is misrepresented.

South.

Maule (?), n. (Bot.) The common mallow.

Maul"ing (?), n. A severe beating with a stick, cudgel, or the fist.

Maul"-stick` (?), n. [G. malerstock; maler a painter + stock stick.] A stick used by painters as a rest for the hand while working. [Written also mahl-stick.]

Mau"met (?), n. See Mawmet. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Maunch (?), v. t. To munch. [Obs.]

Maunch (?), n. See Manche.

Maund (?), n. [AS. mand, mond.] A hand basket. [Obs.] Herrick.

Maund, n. [Hind, & Per. man.] An East Indian weight, varying in different localities from 25 to about 82 pounds avoirdupois.